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Mango, Coconut, and Lime Pudding

Has anyone else struggled with trying to find the “right” diet? I don’t mean diet in the weight loss sense; I mean just trying to make smart choices about what to put into one’s body 3 (or 4, or 5, or, oh heck, 6) times a day. I’m not sure where my intense fascination with nutrition came from, but I’m sure it somehow stems from my feelings about food in general. But things can get dangerous when you pair a mildly obsessive personality with the internet and an endlessly contentious topic of debate. I can’t say I’m proud of how much time I’ve spent researching dietary advice…reading everything from books by experts in the field (often with opposing viewpoints!) to magazines and blogs. Couldn’t I have been doing something more productive? Then again, I’ve mostly enjoyed my research, though I’m not going to pretend that I have any final conclusions to share.

I’ve been convinced (and re-convinced) that a multitude of diets are right. This is not to say I’ve really put any of them into practice. I usually just spend a lot of time reading why I should be eating a certain way and then stick with the plan until something that looks tastier (hello grilled cheese?) comes along. I’ve found myself delving into the depths of the vegan (I dated a vegan for a little while), raw vegan, nutritarian, paleo/primal, and the oh-what-the-heck-I-give-up diets. I’m sure I’m missing some in that list.

While most of the time I spent obsessively learning about these different diets was probably wasted, I can at least say that I’ve learned some kitchen techniques that I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise. Which leads me to today’s recipe…a raw, vegan, and oh-so-simple dessert that will have your tastebuds singing. A good blender or food processor will yield the creamiest, most decadent texture and it becomes even thicker (and I think better) after spending some time chilling in the refrigerator. Whether you chill it or not, this is a wonderful dessert for the warmer weather ahead of us.

Please share: Does my weird, endless dietary research strike a chord with anyone out there? Are you set on one philosophy or do you cherry-pick, like me?

I’ve really been enjoying following a primal/paleo diet for the past 10 months (and have experienced tremendous health benefits from it). But I’ve found it interesting during that time that I’ve come across many vegan recipes (such as yours today), that I’ve tried and enjoyed. I would never be a total vegan for various reasons, but I really appreciate many vegan dishes and love incorporating them into my diet. I think there’s lots of crossover in the many types of diets out there, for sure.

This looks awesome!
I SO know what you mean about finding the right “diet.” I think I searched for 15 years till I found something that actually fit (and it took a lot of trial and error and focus and re-focusing). It will probably change more over time too.
I do think that the benefit of trying new things and ways of eating is that you get to pull out all the good ideas that work for you and then hang on to them as you go along! I have collected lots of little bits of info and recipes that I use now, but they’re from all different approaches to eating… So, I think it’s a positive thing!